What are you listening 2 now?

[Que]

The Souter is nice enough, but somehow I felt it made the music sound not very interesting. So I took refuge in Egarr.

He didn't quite cut it with me either.

Will line up Egarr for a listen! 

[Mandryka]

Will line up Egarr for a listen! 

I predict it is not your style!

What about Kenneth Gilbert. He recorded the Purcell suites twice: 1978 on a Vaudry at the V and A,  and then in 1993 on one of those French heavily modified things,  a bit of Taskin, a bit of Couchet, a bit of Blanchet. Both well worth hearing I think.

[Symphonic Addict]

Great stuff, Cesar. All of Zemlinsky's SQs are worthwhile and wonderful works.

Indeed! His 4 numbered quartets contain fabulous music. The early quartet in D minor is not as interesting, though.

[Symphonic Addict]

Back to back Rautavaara symphonies while I work. Halfway through the cycle today, and I confess that although I feel relaxed and rejuvenated by the music, the resultant quality of my work output and attention to productivity hasn't been high. They get enough from me, so no guilt in a gentler Monday.

Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8 are my favorites, being the last one very special to me. There is a sort of visionary feel to it I find very uplifting.

[Symphonic Addict]

Shostakovich: Symphony 13 'Babi Yar'.
Concertgebouw Orchestra/Bernard Haitink.
Best performance IMO and best cover art:

This one is becoming one of my favorites by Shostakovich. It contains some of the most dramatic and moving music he ever penned.

[Symphonic Addict]

Pounds the table! The Symphonic Variations, in particular, is a really special work which is as fine as any other set of orchestral variations out there imo. There are lots of gems in de Frumerie's output - I recently discovered his substantial Variations and Fugue for piano orchestra which is a glorious knock-out of a work! It can be found on this album:

[asin]B00004U4HL[/asin]

Interesting, Kyle. This is something to explore for sure.

[prémont]

The Souter is nice enough, but somehow I felt it made the music sound not very interesting. So I took refuge in Egarr.

Inspired by this post, I listened to several recordings of some of these Purcell suites (which during the years never did that much for me, but I wanted to revisit them) via YT. First Egarr which seems somewhat lizard-like but adds numerous embellishments to - with varying success - make the music more exciting. Secondly Gilbert who is more passionate in his approach and therefore more immediately exciting. Then Tilney who performs the suites more simply but also is more eloquent and makes the music more coherent. Finally Ruzickova who plays in her usual heavy pedantic way. So the winner is Tilney. Concerning Egarr, Gilbert and Tilney but certainly not Ruzickova the most interesting was the beautiful sounding instruments. I don't think I offend anybody when I say, that these suites only at best are mildly interesting and they are therfore an ungratious task for the performers. Some of the problem is that the suites are rather formulaic and very eventless harmonically as well as rhytmically. If a Frenchman had written them, they had been forgotten since long.

[Symphonic Addict]

A quite moving symphony for soloists, chorus and orchestra. This succeeded my expectations. The music is magnificent, very well-written for both voices and orchestra.

[Mirror Image]

Indeed! His 4 numbered quartets contain fabulous music. The early quartet in D minor is not as interesting, though.

A lot of early works from composers aren't that interesting in general --- there are exceptions to this of course.

[Que]

Inspired by this post, I listened to several recordings of some of these Purcell suites (which during the years never did that much for me, but I wanted to revisit them) via YT. First Egarr which seems somewhat lizard-like but adds numerous embellishments to - with varying success - make the music more exciting. Secondly Gilbert who is more passionate in his approach and therefore more immediately exciting. Then Tilney who performs the suites more simply but also is more eloquent and makes the music more coherent. Finally Ruzickova who plays in her usual heavy pedantic way. So the winner is Tilney. Concerning Egarr, Gilbert and Tilney but certainly not Ruzickova the most interesting was the beautiful sounding instruments. I don't think I offend anybody when I say, that these suites only at best are mildly interesting and they are therfore an ungratious task for the performers. Some of the problem is that the suites are rather formulaic and very eventless harmonically as well as rhytmically. If a Frenchman had written them, they had been forgotten since long.

Thank you for your interesting thoughts! 

The comparison with a Frenchman's claim to fame, reminded me of the brilliant suites by the Westminster based François Dieupart . They might have inspired Bach's "English" Suites, which sound as French as his French Suites. A speculative theory that I fully support on the striking stylistic resemblances.

BTW two names on my Purcell shortlist haven't been mentioned yet: Olivier Baumont and Terrence Charleston.

[kyjo]

Vítězslav Novák
The Storm, op. 42
Zdeněk Košler and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus

I am unmoved by much of Novák's orchestral music, but I'm always left gobsmacked by The Storm.

The Storm is indeed quite a tremendous work. My favorite Novák works, though, are his two ballets Nikotina and Signorina Gioventú - endlessly inventive, tuneful, and colorful works. I find them more memorable than his tone poems, colorful and dramatic though they are.

[Karl Henning]

This one is becoming one of my favorites by Shostakovich. It contains some of the most dramatic and moving music he ever penned.

Excellent!

[Karl Henning]

Another "sweet spot" in this box:

Debussy
Images pour orchestre

Ravel
Pavane pour une infante défunte
Ma mère l'Oye

Debussy
La Mer
Prélude á l'après-midi d'un faune
Jeux, poème dansé
Nuages et Fêtes from Nocturnes, triptyque symphonique

NY Phil
Lenny

[Mandryka]

My favourite Purcell player is Leonhardt -- he recorded only four of them as far as I know but they are exceptional.

I'll listen to Tilney tomorrow. 

I like lizards.

[Que]

My favourite Purcell player is Leonhardt -- he recorded only four of them as far as I know but they are exceptional.

Agreed! 

That whole album is exquisite:

[Mandryka]

Agreed! 

That whole album is exquisite:

I especially like the flamboyant double organ voluntary on the first track. Lovely dissonance towards the end.

[VonStupp]

The Storm is indeed quite a tremendous work. My favorite Novák works, though, are his two ballets Nikotina and Signorina Gioventú - endlessly inventive, tuneful, and colorful works. I find them more memorable than his tone poems, colorful and dramatic though they are.

I don't know these works at all. I will definitely have to check them out!

[prémont]

Thank you for your interesting thoughts! 

The comparison with a Frenchman's claim to fame, reminded me of the brilliant suites by the Westminster based François Dieupart . They might have inspired Bach's "English" Suites, which sound as French as his French Suites. A speculative theory that I fully support on the striking stylistic resemblances.

BTW two names on my Purcell shortlist haven't been mentioned yet: Olivier Baumont and Terrence Charleston.

Later I listened to a few clips on Presto's site. I think Ewa Rzetecka-Niewiadomska does the trick of making these suites better than they are, playing them as great music. This works for a number of the movements I listened to. Beaumont plays them - not surprising - in a somewhat French manner, and this also works rather well. Souter is a bit tinky-tinky and I think the music looses more in stature than necessary. Also Belder plays in a rather French manner and he is the most rhetorical of the one's I have heard. Even this approach adds IMO something of value to the music. Of those I have heard - including the ones above - I prefer Belder closely followed by Ewa Rzetecka-Niewiadomska.

François Dieupart is in my book  a harpsichord composer in quite another league than Purcell, while Purcell's best works without doubt are his operas.

[prémont]

My favourite Purcell player is Leonhardt -- he recorded only four of them as far as I know but they are exceptional.

I'll listen to Tilney tomorrow. 

I like lizards.

I only own a few of Leonhardts Philips recordings and not the Blow-Purcell one. But I found his recording of the suite Z 667 on YT, and agree, that this is very good. Leonhardt was able to make worthwhile music of everything. He sounds like a substantially improved Belder.

[VonStupp]

Charles Ives
Complete Psalms
Marcus Creed and the SWR Vokalensemble



Charles Ives isn't for everyone, but his 10 Psalm settings were so ahead of their time. They sound like they came out of the 50's but were actually written before the turn of the century. Creed and the SWR are also quite good and while the 45-minute runtime might seem short, for listening to Ives...it's just right.